[Correction: An earlier verson misstated the amount BlackBerry paid to acquire Cylance. This article is now updated.]

Venerable device-maker BlackBerry is investing heavily in cybersecurity with its purchase of Cylance for $1.4 billion. The acquisition comes as the company tries to bolster security for its BlackBerry Spark "Enterprise of Things" platform.

WHY IT MATTERS
Cylance, based in Irving, California, uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to apprehend security breaches under a variety of conditions across an entire enterprise. Its technology has proven effective at predicting and preventing known and unknown threats to fixed endpoints, as BlackBerry noted in its acquisition announcement, and its small operating footprint make it ideal for mobile apps.

Mobile and connected Internet of Things devices are a major part of any healthcare IT network and protecting them is a major necessity as well. As IoT moves into more and more areas of healthcare, choosing a system with robust and proactive security measures will help forestall risks to protected health data and even patient safety.

THE LARGER TREND
BlackBerry understands that as such devices proliferate and IoT systems gain traction across healthcare and , systems with robust and proactive security measures will give organizations added peace of mind and protection against constantly evolving threats. With AI and ML increasingly proving their worth in the healthcare space, organizations will have increased experience with the technology.

ON THE RECORD
"Cylance's leadership in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity will immediately complement our entire portfolio, UEM and QNX in particular," said BlackBerry CEO John Chen, refering to its unified endpoint management tools and the Unix-like operating system it acquired in 2010.

"We are very excited to onboard their team and leverage our newly combined expertise," he added. "We believe adding Cylance's capabilities to our trusted advantages in privacy, secure mobility, and embedded systems will make BlackBerry Spark indispensable to realizing the Enterprise of Things."